


Burning the Midnight Oil

by Ayamuri



Category: Promare (2019)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-08 06:49:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26967763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ayamuri/pseuds/Ayamuri
Summary: It’s not normalcy that scares Lio but redundancy. Without his flames, who even is he? Galo hopes to help his friend answer that question but the revelation of a Burnish secret only adds fuel to the fire. Good thing he’s adept at putting out blazes but still must also be careful to nurture the fickle flame of the heart. Eventual GaloxLio
Relationships: Lio Fotia/Galo Thymos
Comments: 3
Kudos: 19





	1. Soul Searching

Can I be honest and say I initially wasn’t crazy about _Promare_? But a seven day rental on Amazon Video made it worm its way into my heart and I’ve not been able to stop thinking about it since. And when that happens, I know it’s time to just go ahead and write a fanfic. 

The summary also isn't 100% accurate, lol. This is less of a hurt/comfort sort of story, more of a 'learning to understand each other' theme.

* * *

 **Soul Searching** ****

By most accounts, last night had been a rousing success. Two birds with one stone had been taken down in the forms of Kray Foresight and the Freeze Force. The heating core of the Earth had been literally pummeled into submission. The Promare were back on their planet and the Burnish’s powers no longer existed, ceasing three decades of chaos.

Galo watched in satisfaction as his team and the rescued Burnish celebrated in the massive garage of the fire department, enjoying pizza provided courtesy of their favorite pizzeria. The owner was happy to provide the two dozen boxes requested as payment for being freed from Foresight’s prison. Everyone talked and ate and the energy felt amazing. Even though it was past two in the morning and he was exhausted from the fight, he was equally excited for what the future now would bring. 

Except as he panned the room, he noticed someone was missing. He remembered when he saw the Burnish eating in the cave that Lio seemed to prefer hanging on the edge of crowds but after a second pass, Galo still didn’t see him. _Maybe it’s too noisy in here for him._ Grabbing a few slices of pizza onto a paper plate, he pushed off from his perch against the back wall and went through a side door into the rest of the fire department. 

Compared to the garage, the rest of the building was small, consisting only of a locker room, an office for the chief, a sleeping room with four bunk beds for their long, revolving shifts, a small bathroom, a tiny kitchen and a break room. Galo checked them all and still came up empty. _Did he completely leave? No...that doesn’t sound like him. He doesn’t seem like the type to just disappear on his folks without saying a word._ Then where in the hell had he vanished to?!

He walked back to the garage to check again and there he finally found a piece to the puzzle. Ah, the side exit! The wide-load fire truck and the mechs usually kept it out of sight, but leave it to Lio, who hated being trapped, to seek out alternate escapes. Grinning at the solved mystery, Galo exited through the door as well, already knowing where to go next. He was in a tight alley between the fire department and the building next door, but there was a ladder on the wall that allowed access to a water tank on the roof. He switched the plate of pizza to his arm that’d been injured years ago, climbing slowly with the other. 

He stifled his huffing as he reached the top, exhaling in satisfaction as he finally saw his target. Fearless as ever, Lio sat shirtless still from the night’s fighting but with a blanket around his shoulders, legs dangling over the front of the building. Galo strolled up to him and carefully sat down, legs also hanging over the edge. Holding up the plate of pizza, he offered, “Want some?” 

He half expected Lio to say no, but was surprised when he took not one but two slices. It must’ve been hard for them to find food as while he ate neatly, the food was gone only a moment later and Lio was already grabbing more. Looking at how tiny and thin he was, it made Galo all the more happy at what they’d accomplished so that hopefully, no Burnish ever had to go so hungry again. They ate in silence, both leaning back to watch the stars, planes, and a faint twinkling that perhaps was the home of the Promare. 

He wasn’t thinking when he reached for another slice and felt his hand knock into Lio's. He still hadn’t said anything and when he looked over, his throat instantly clenched. Those weren’t tears...but the sadness those eyes revealed was even more heart-wrenching. “Hey, what’s wrong?” 

The small shoulders gave a burdened sigh, and the boy wrapped himself tighter in the blanket. Then, he looked down at his hands. “I feel pretty empty now,” he confessed. 

The wretched expression on his face told Galo that a pep-talk about keeping a burning soul wasn’t going to help right now. He decided to keep quiet and see if Lio said anything else. 

“The flames...they were everything to us, “ the Mad Burnish leader indeed went on. Or former leader? “They gave us a directive, something understandable to follow. I know Kray called us slaves, but that’s really not what it felt like. It was...cathartic when we burned. But now what? Now that they’re gone, now what do I do?” He clenched his fists, again pulling the blanket tighter as a gust picked up. Lio closed his eyes against it and Galo could see the exhausted shadows that surrounded them. 

He also didn’t miss the shift from plural to singular as Lio lamented. He wasn’t sure what to say, but always found it easier to handle his problems one thing at a time. He peeled off the black shirt he’d put on when everyone had gotten in and held it out. “I run kind of hot so this temperature is nothing for me,” he said, placing the shirt in Lio’s lap. “You probably did too, before tonight, but now this weather must be freezing to you.” It was summer so it wasn’t that cold but there would still be dew on the ground come daybreak. 

Shocked at the proffered clothing, Lio looked over for confirmation and Galo waved for him to go on. However, he didn’t miss that the boy sniffed it first. “It’s clean, I just washed it!” the firefighter said with great offense but he felt a little relief when the teen gave a faint smile. 

“It already smells like you,” Lio said, shrugging into it. It fit Galo snuggly but swallowed Lio’s lithe body. “Smells like cinders.” 

Oh. That...wasn’t what Galo had been expecting. He blushed as he held his forearm up to his nose. “I don’t smell anything.” 

“Because it’s your own scent,” Lio said quietly, his nose still down in the shirt. “Though, it’s also like me. Like ash...and flames.” At the mention of fires, he stopped talking, pulling his face out the shirt and once again looking detached from the scene. 

Quasi-flattering compliments aside, Galo knew he needed to do something. He ruffled his hair as he fought to find the right words. “Hey. I won’t say I really understand the whole Burnish thing. As a firefighter, I guess my brain is just wired to think in the opposite direction.” This earned him a scowl but he’d take a scowl over the hopelessness he’d been seeing in the other’s eyes. “But I say without the Promare telling you what you need to do, you can finally be yourself instead. You can be Lio Fotia, instead of only being seen as ‘Lio Fotia, the Burnish’, you know? You get to now decide your own destiny, not some weird alien things.”

The teenager suddenly expelled a groan of aggravation, leveling him with an intense glare. “Galo, do you know how old I am?” 

“Uhh...what?” What kind of question was that? He would swear Lio wasn’t a day older than sixteen but was scared he’d offend him if he lowballed it and was off. “About...seventeen?” he tried. 

The blond gave a hard laugh. “Try forty-five.” 

“Bullshit!” the expletive escaped. 

Lio shook his head with all seriousness. “It’s true. I was originally born in 1974 and I was part of the first wave of Burnish from 1989. I was fifteen when I flared up during the Great Blaze. As far as I can tell, I’ve been the same age since.” 

_Ho-ly crap,_ Galo put a hand to his forehead, unable to stop staring at him. _I’m only nineteen, that means he’s more than twice my age!_ “Well alrighty then, that kinda...puts a damper on my little speech,” he chuckled weakly. 

Lio scoffed, “Yeah. And in all that time, I never once thought that there might come a day where I no longer could use fire. I just thought...I’d go on burning until my flame eventually went out.” 

_Like that young woman in the cave_ , Galo remembered. And now that he thought about it, it was at that time that Lio had actually informed him of his unusual immortality. He’d mentioned that the certainty of being able to burn out was ‘a blessing’. He’d figured Lio was talking about physical regeneration and how they at least could eventually die to save them from being experimented on. Never would he have imagined this is what he meant. 

But if that were true for all Burnish…”If you’ve lived this long at that age, how come Kray grew older?” he asked, stomach souring at the reminder of his deceitful mentor. 

“My guess...is the slowing of aging is tied to how often we use our powers,” Lio replied with a furrowed brow. “The burning causes the regeneration. If we’re constantly repairing our bodies by always using our flames before we can age, that would keep us from growing older. Kray didn’t like using them and as a public figure, he wouldn’t want anyone to know he was a Burnish. Because he didn’t use his that much, he aged.”

Galo nodded and shrugged. Tonight had been crazy as hell and that probably made the most sense out of everything he’d heard in the last few hours regarding the existence of the Burnish and Promare. Still, in thinking about it, he asked, “Doesn’t using your flame too much though cause you to burn out?” 

“Yeah. Most of us do,” the blond said sadly, looking down at the street below. “But I think there’s something different about me. I can control my flames better than almost anyone else I know, and always could.” 

Galo gave him a light punch on the arm, causing him to look up in surprise. “Damn right there’s something different about you! You were absolutely amazing tonight! It’s a good thing you’re as durable as you are or else we wouldn't have succeeded! You had a one in a million bond with the Promare would be my guess, something so special that it put you in a league of your own. That’s why your flames burned brighter than any other!” 

He flexed an arm representative of Lio’s strength and finally, he could see his words working. Maybe a little too well, as now the other’s eyes were shining fervently. “So you really _do_ understand,” Lio breathed, holding his gaze. “You get it now.” 

Galo’s heart gave a terribly sad pound in his chest. This wasn’t just about understanding the Burnish, this was about understanding _him_. He hadn’t been aware that the boy had been standing on a precipice between human and deity, an anomaly even to his own kind. He felt horribly unqualified to be the one this kid confided in, but if Lio wished to entrust him with these delicate feelings, he’d do his best to protect them. 

To Lio’s statement, he reached out and gently pulled his head into his side with no resistance, the soft hair tickling his skin. “I think I’m starting to,” he whispered. 

They fell quiet but Galo didn’t want to fall asleep in case Lio wanted to talk some more. Slowly, the faint edge of sunlight began to rise behind the mountains surrounding the city and one by one, the stars faded away. He felt Lio stir against him, though he knew he hadn’t really rested. The blond pulled away and rubbed his eyes with the back of a hand, yawning. “Think I’m gonna get some sleep,” he mumbled, stumbling as he stood up. 

Galo stood up too, grabbing the empty paper plate and trying to stifle his own yawn. “Yeah, could definitely use a nap or two.” He paused though and looked at Lio closely. “You gonna be okay? I’m here if you need anything.” 

The haggard shadow was still around the other’s eyes but a little less pronounced now. “Think I’ll be alright. ‘Preciate it, Galo. Thank you,” he said with sincerity. 

“No prob, any time!” The firefighter replied enthusiastically. Going to the ladder first, he slid down without using the rungs. He stood back to give some room as Lio also slid down, catching the grin as the other strutted past with having successfully mimicked him. 

Back inside, Galo noticed instantly that the heat had been switched on and most of the lights had been turned off. There were a few soft orange lights along the garage so that it wasn’t completely pitch black, usually reserved to be powered by a generator should the power go out. Along the garage floor, the Burnish had been provided blankets and firefighter jackets to make pallets and snoring ranging from soft to loud filled the room. 

“Stay here a moment,” he whispered and left Lio’s side to duck into the main building. When he came back, he had an extra blanket that he handed over. “The littlest ones seem to have been given the bunk beds in the sleep room,” he said close to Lio’s ear. “Aina’s still here and I live here so let us know if you need anything, okay?” 

Lio nodded sleepily, yawning again. “Will do. ‘Night.” 

“Night!” He waited until he saw him nestle down close to the two guys that appeared to be his best friends before returning to the break room to sleep on a couch opposite of where Aina was passed out.

Lio was gently pulled under to the smell of cinders and ash.

* * *

I’m quite certain I’m not the only one who mistook Lio’s speech to Galo about the Burnish to also mean they don’t age, lol. Combined with the comment at the beginning of the movie about the Mad Burnish leader being wanted for 30 years and age-permanence seemed possible. I know it’s incorrect, but I wanted to still have fun with the idea. 

As to the year of Lio’s birth, I’m going by the year _Promare_ was released, 2019, as being the “present” to help give a reference of the timeline he grew up in.


	2. Something To Smile About

* * *

**Let Me Give You Something to Smile About**

A pan clanging in a sink awoke Galo and he shot up straight on the couch before wincing. He'd fallen asleep with his arm sleeve and straps still on, the bindings twisting under his armpit to rub it sore. He rose as he messaged at it, noting both that Aina was no longer there and that he was still shirtless.

As he exited the break room to get to the sleeping room with his clothes, he almost ran smack into a long line of people extending the length of the hallway. He came up short and at his startled expression, some of them giggled. They all welcomed him with a pleasant "Good morning!" before turning their attention back to the front of the line.

 _Now what organized chaos do we have going on here?_ He gently pushed past them to the front, which led to the kitchen. Once he got there, he almost laughed as well.

Still ever their leader, Lio was at the stove frying a massive batch of eggs in a wok, a black apron tied over the black clothes he'd worn the day before, including Galo's shirt. His bob of yellow-green hair lended a shock of color to his appearance though was worryingly very wild from perhaps a restless sleep. Even a hint of the shadows were still under his eyes.. Despite this, Galo was happy to see that he looked much more lively today as he flitted around the kitchen, adding a cutting board full of chopped veggies to the eggs that a Burnish woman next to him had prepared.

He saw Galo in the doorway but didn't slow down. "Breakfast will be ready in ten. Omelettes, toast and ham sound alright?"

Did he even have to ask? "Yeah, sounds amazing! I haven't had a home cooked meal in ages!"

He realized his mistake the instant the words were out of his mouth when Lio stiffened and the Burnish woman also slowed down in adding toast to the toaster. "...Yeah," was all the boy said, keeping his eyes on the food.

Not even noon and already he'd upset the kid. _Great going, Galo._ Unsure of what to say to remedy his words, he escaped the heavy atmosphere to continue down the hall to the sleeping room. The door was open and the room was empty. The little occupants who had been in there had even tried to set up the beds and his heart melted a little as he saw their messy efforts. Grabbing a new change of clothes, he headed to the bathroom to see yet another congo line outside the door. _So I guess I'm not getting a shower today...unless…_

Whenever the Burning Rescue team had left for the night and he didn't feel like cleaning the bathroom after washing, he sometimes resorted to more basic means. Going back past the kitchen (and unable to stop himself from glancing at Lio to ensure he was okay now; the leader was concentrating on plating up the food), Galo excused himself down the line that seemed twice as long as before. Passing the break room again, he could see some of the Burnish pulling the furniture back to clear the floor. He idly wondered why they were doing that when the garage would be way bigger.

At the side entrance to the garage, he grabbed the handle and distantly heard someone shout out "Nooo!" before the door was opened.

There was a brief flash of seeing some women wrapped in towels before he heard several shrieks and his vision was knocked black by an onslaught of bars of soap, sandals, body washes, shampoos, washing buckets and anything else heavy that could be thrown. Galo quickly slammed the door closed, placing his back to it. "What in the _hell_ was that?!"

From down the hallway Aina appeared, looking embarrassed for him. "Sorry, meant to tell you! The ladies set a schedule to shower in there at this time since there's only the one bathroom. The guys already had their turn. Would've warned you sooner but you were sleeping and I've been hitting up everywhere I could to find clothing donations." Then she suddenly paused and tilted her head. "Were you going somewhere?" And then her eyes widened. "You weren't going to abandon me with all this work, were you?! I know you like to hide out in the truck!"

"Whaa?! No! I was just…stretching my legs!" Galo improvised.

"Mm-hm," his co-worker rolled her eyes and then began to nudge him back the way they came. "Lets get some grub and then I'll need your help getting the cleanup effort organized. Today's gonna be a long one."

~.~.~

Indeed, it was. During breakfast, the rest of the Burning Rescue team arrived (paying special heed to a sign on the garage informing to not enter). Once the meal was done, Galo was surprised that someone was quickly at his side to collect his plate, impressed with how efficient their guests were.

Sometime later, Aina finally signaled that it was safe to go into the garage, where the concrete floor was completely wet. Just in front of the fire department though, and along much of the city, were drains to match with the prevalence of the fire hydrants. Two Burnish kids were using brush mops to push the water out. Other people were standing at the back of the garage to fold the blankets and sort laundry for the washer and dryer also tucked back there. None of them asked about using any of the equipment, but Galo had no problems with it and none of the other team members did either. Everyone allowed them to work as they pleased for their little community.

The garage door was fully opened, filling the dark room with blinding sunlight. Galo took in a deep breath, loving the feel and smell of summer. _Definitely need to hit the beach before the good weather is gone! If we ever get done with everything._ He shuddered to think of the amount of work that the city needed. While they were a fire department, their massive equipment would be helpful in moving debris and reaching the tops of skyscrapers. Behind him, the massive fire truck roared to life as Chief Ignis got behind the wheel. The rest of the Burning Rescue team climbed in the back and several of the Burnish joined them. Oh yeah, he had said something to Lio about getting everyone's help to rebuild…

And speak of the devil, just when he turned to also get in, he almost ran smack into the teen. "Apologies," the boy said, but didn't bother to step out of the way. When Galo looked at him, he saw his eyes were now narrowed with a familiar fire of determination like that preceding their final fight from yesterday. Now _this_ was the face of the Burnish he knew.

Without waiting, Lio requested, "Let me come along too."

Well, well! "Sure thing! The more the merrier!" Galo encouraged and was about to continue to the vehicle when he felt a hand grab his injured arm. He sucked in his teeth before he could stop himself and Lio gasped, letting him go.

"So sorry!" he apologized again, dropping his hand. "I forgot!"

Galo waved him off, the pain already subsiding. "Nah, it's fine. Three years on and it's still sensitive to sunlight and pressure in certain spots but not like you could've known that," he smiled at him.

The boy looked away, still embarrassed. "You have a sleeve on, doesn't take a rocket scientist to know...shouldn't have just reached out."

Galo sighed and looked at him from head to toe. He'd gotten ready for the day, having traded black leather for tight black jeans accessorized with a white belt and a simple half-tucked black tank top. It pained him to see him standing there, fists clenched in chastisement at his innocent mistake. "Lio. Chill," he commanded, lightly putting a finger under his chin to get him to look at him with those wide, light-brown eyes. "I said it's fine. Stop being such a masochist and beating yourself up!"

A slot machine of emotions flickered across Lio's visage until settling on resignation. Galo let go of him as he said "Fine. But...I wanted to ask something" And here, the young face grew the faintest patches of pink that would've been missed were it not for the extra lighting. "If we could work together like we did before," he mumbled.

The firefighter actually felt his heart give a leap and couldn't help himself as he ruffled the dual-colored hair. "So you _do_ like the mechs! Hell yeah, I'll have Lucia get right on it with making _Lio de Galon II_! But...she might actually be able to make one just for you," he twisted his mouth in thought. "We don't really share in case something happens to one vehicle, it doesn't compromise beyond that one person."

He respectfully left off that the two-person mech only worked as well as it did due to Lio's creations with the flames.

"Yeah...that would definitely be better," the other said, and his tone made it obvious that he too was now realizing the same thing.

Who knows, maybe Lucia could still come up with something for them to work directly as a duo. For now, Galo informed, "Today, you can help at the street level with whatever the city needs. That might be shoveling stuff or even minor demolition. It's not epic work, but it's work that needs doing so I'm definitely happy to have your help!" He clapped him on the shoulder and led him into the truck where they squeezed in amongst the crowd.

The Burnish were happily talking with his teammates but he noticed Lio said nothing more during the trip.

~.~.~

The next few weeks fell into a mostly predictable pattern. While the faces revolved, each day a team of Burnish made breakfast and the garage became off-limits between the hours of five and seven, unless the team received a now infrequent emergency call. Once the meal was finished, another team began handling the cleaning. Those who wished to assist in the city repairs went with Burning Rescue and those who did not instead hunted the city looking for alternate employment. Most were back by 8PM to be greeted with a hearty dinner and then turned in for the night. The team had managed to get donations of mattresses to provide much more comfort than the concrete floor, which were pushed against a wall when not in use.

Galo was caught off guard after a month when he realized that the number of Burnish living at the fire department had actually been halved. Like wil-o-wisps, they had quietly drifted off, beginning their new lives in Promepolis. He felt a little sad that he didn't get to tell them goodbye and thank you, but most seemed to regard the living situation as only symbiotic, room and board for cooking and chores. The Burnish were friendly but still seemed to mostly wish to keep to themselves and after what they'd been through, he definitely didn't blame them.

On a sunny afternoon, the remainder of the two groups were taking lunch on the lawn of a library that they were helping to rebuild, enjoying lunches that they'd packed or choosing from the restaurant-lined street nearby.

The Burning Rescue team sat together under the shade of a tree and it was Remi who presented them with roast beef sandwiches from a local deli. "And yes, I got extra for you two, Varys and Galo," the man said, already prepared for their nearly insatiable appetites. To himself, he muttered "You owe me for spending extra…"

Seemingly not hearing him, Varys gave a cheer. "My man! Go ahead and hit me with whatcha got!" He instead slapped Remi's back, his strength nearly flattening the other onto the picnic blanket.

"Nooo!" The others shouted, diving quickly to save the food.

As everyone ate their unsquished meal in relief, Galo looked over the clusters of people sitting on the grass and could see Lio was again absent from the group. The two worked together less frequently than he'd imagined, as Burning Rescue was also still getting calls to put out fires, most of them gas related from broken pipes. He got to talk to him a little to and from work, but Lio was often quiet company at the start of the day and exhaustion kept either of them from being talkative at the end. He searched the area for several minutes until he finally found him, leaning back in the branches of a tree while eating an apple.

Galo giggled to himself as he thought of a cat and waved an arm to get Lio's attention. The head turned and Lio definitely looked directly at him, but without even so much as a nod of acknowledgement, he looked away to stare absently over the grass.

 _And just like a cat, he ignores me,_ Galo sulked, shoving an entire half of a sandwich in his mouth. He glowered at him the rest of the meal but never did Lio look back over.

He wouldn't see the other again until the day had concluded, everyone putting in an extra three grueling hours to push to complete the building. As dusk fell, the exterior lights came on, along with a rainbow illumination within a water fountain at the front. A hefty amount of the books from the old building had also been salvaged so the library would be able to re-open the following week. Everyone cheered for the success, hugging and high-fiving as they enjoyed the beautiful display.

Halfway through the celebration, Galo noticed that Leo was just leaving the building from a door that would be for a fire escape exit. This time, he surprisingly waved to him and Galo quietly slipped from the group to lope over. "Heyaz! You're just now finishing?" he asked, already forgiving the earlier aloofness.

The Burnish leader gave a small nod. "Yeah. I actually wanted to show you what I've been working on," he said, turning to head back in.

"Alright...but let's hurry. Last thing I want is to get locked in here," Galo shuddered and went in with him. The interior smelled of fresh paint and a heart-sickening scent of books that made him think of City Hall. Like Kray's office.

The door they entered was for the children's section where there were adorable little tables dotted here and there. Beanbags and child-sized armchairs were tucked into corners and in the dark, he could just make out a large, empty aquarium that would be filled with fish once the paint fumes had cleared. Lio led him past the equally cute toddler-sized bookshelves to the front of the room and there, Galo froze.

In the remaining light that shone in, he could see the entire room had been painted with pictures. The largest of them was a forest scene with multiple woodland creatures gathered together to listen as a wise old owl read from a book along a riverbank. It was a simple scene, placed exactly where a future staff member could also read to the children. He took the time to also admire the coloring, the realistic detail to the owl's feathers, the soft texture of a fox's fur. Though the image was in daylight, the scene had what appeared to be fireflies dancing around the animals as they happily listened to the owl's story.

Except they weren't fireflies. He peered closer and then gasped before smiling. Tiny neon pink, blue and yellow triangles were drawn floating up in the air around the creatures, the familiar sparks of a Burnish. They rose from the ground, the trees, the water. The addition helped turn a simple children's mural into something beautifully mystical.

"What do you think?" the teen asked, searching the firefighter's expression. "Think it looks weird?"

It was hard to tear his eyes away, but Galo finally forced himself to look at him. "I didn't even know you could paint. I'm no art connoisseur but I definitely give this a stamp of approval. Look at you, we ought to start calling you Leonardo di Vinci!" he nudged him.

Lio rolled his eyes but was also now smiling. "I got permission from the building director when I overheard him saying they needed art work for in here a few weeks ago. I asked if it would be alright if I did it and after drawing him an example, he gave me the greenlight. I also asked if I could add a reminder of the Promare since I saw him on TV talking about having been a Burnish and he was alright with that, too. In fact, he actually let me paint the entire building."

"Wait, no way!"

"Come on, I'll show you," Lio said with forced casualty.

Still gobsmacked, Galo followed him out the room and into a main entrance area. This area had skylights, making it easier to see that indeed, another large mural had been painted on the main wall visitors would see when they came in the front entrance. Still keeping to the forest theme, this time the painting had children reading books at the base of trees, lying on branches reading, and some building a fort, the group consulting around a book. And still all around, the glittering triangles floated.

Looking a little harder, Galo again couldn't help but laugh as he recognized an interesting sight. One of the children was a boy with tanned skin. He was laying down in partial shade, a book face-down on his stomach. The expression on his face was wistful as he daydreamed, lips slightly pursed to blow a cluster of the neon sparks in the air.

"..Do you like it?" the artist's apprehensive voice asked, noticing just where Galo was looking.

Did he really need to ask? "I absolutely love it," Galo said honestly, looking him in the eye.

The small face turned away and the firefighter restrained himself from laughing more as two patches of soft pink yet again appeared on the face. " _My, the fearsome Burnish leader is quite the blusher!"_ he would've loved to have teased.

"Let's go look at the last one," Lio said to cover himself and Galo bit his lip to stop his wolfish grin.

They went upstairs where the teens and adults could checkout books. This was clearly the room Lio had been given the most leeway as the forest scene expanded across a wall larger than the other two. This painting was in a clearing of the shaded forest, leaves and Burnish cinders drifting about. This time though, instead of people or ordinary animals, there was only a large neon flamed dragon curled up cat-like, reading a book on the ground with stacks of more scattered about. Older than the owl in the children's section, this dragon was classically wizened, with a flamed beard and "bushy" eyebrows. The gold and yellow eyes held a softness that complemented its smile of contentment.

It was extremely bold to be this up-front, especially as there were still anti-Burnish sentiments being demonstrated across the city, but Galo could only admire Lio's audacity. "Arrogant much to add yourself?" he joked.

"Actually, I was kind of thinking like, _Neverending Story_ meets maybe Shenron from _Dragonball_ ," Lio shrugged. And when Galo opened his mouth, he quickly added, "No, I don't expect you to know what those are."

"Hey, I've seen _DBZ_ and _Super_!" Galo defended himself, crossing his arms.

Lio snorted, "Now _I'm_ the one who doesn't know what those are."

It was rare that he was reminded of their actual age difference and without thinking Galo muttered, "Feels like I'm talking to my grandpa."

To which the blond groaned and cupped an ear. "What? Speak up if you got something to say!"

 _Oh no, all he's missing are the suspenders!_ "Nevermind, don't worry about it," Galo pacified. Going back to the painting, he said, "You did an amazing job and I can't wait for everyone to see your work. After all of this, maybe you should make it a profession."

There was clearly a jolt in the Burnish before he turned to stare up at him with that same rare openness he remembered from their talk on the roof. "I actually thought about that, but didn't think I was really all that good. No lie, you truly think I could do it?"

Galo panned back over the mural in front of him and felt it was a no-brainer. It was clear Lio was holding himself back due to these being public paintings but every swath of neon showed there was a passionate artist lying just under the surface. These pictures were way too tame but the dragon, Lio's own personification of his flames, said everything that was unspoken. He shuddered at the beauty that could be let free if given the chance to create whatever he wanted.

He looked back at Lio, who was still awaiting his answer, wondering why his approval even mattered. "You were commissioned to paint a whole building," he gestured all around them in amazement. "If that's not a testament to what you can do, I don't know what is! Without a doubt, I think you can create some amazing art. Promepolis could definitely use more beautiful things to look at."

Without warning, arms were suddenly thrown around his waist and he tripped a few steps backwards at the force. He reactively went still as he felt a forehead rub against his chest several times, light laughter muffled in his shirt. "W-whoa, Lio! What's gotten into you?"

Those light-brown eyes looked up at him and his words died in his throat. An angry to absolutely seething Lio, he could handle. Nervous and apprehensive was treading new ground, but was manageable. Even the melancholy displayed on the roof weeks ago was understandable. But this...this look of pure, unguarded appreciation was more than Galo ever expected. Concern steeled over him. "You...sure you're feeling alright? You don't really strike me as the touchy-feely type."

And just that quickly, Lio let go and stepped back, the vibrant light in his eyes fading out. "Yeah, s-sorry about that. Not even sure why I did it."

Now if that wasn't the most bold-faced lie. Galo kicked himself though for his callous comment. He took a quiet, deep breath before speaking. "Can I ask you a personal question?"

He didn't miss Lio's stance becoming guarded, all traces of his earlier affection completely gone. Cautious like a caged animal, and yet there was also a flicker of curiosity. "What is it?"

"Would you like to continue living at the fire department?" That wasn't what Galo wanted to ask. His initial question was going to be, "How do you feel about me?" but suddenly, he was scared to know that answer. Lio's flip-flopping, from hot to cold was puzzling but he realized he wasn't yet ready to ask something so heavy.

To what he actually asked, Lio first gave a few nods, then quickly shook his head. "Thanks, but I'm actually planning to try and find my parents," he revealed.

"Ahh, that certainly makes sense." Lucky for Lio to even have parents still. The flare up that led him to run into Kray Foresight's arms also took the lives of his parents. "Still, the others are completely fine with it if you want to just live there," he shook the bad memories off. "I don't mind having a roommate. Well...that would have to be in a literal sense too as there's only one sleeping room. But there's several bunk-beds you can choose from! And it's right downtown so you're close to almost everything cool in Promepolis," he put on his tour guide voice.

It earned him a chuckle and seeing Lio smile again absolutely warmed him. "Alright, geez, you've sold me. I'll stay. Might take a while to find my parents anyways so gonna need a place to crash while looking."

"Exactly! And you're a much better cook than me so that's definitely a plus," Galo winked.

Lio spluttered and turned away, leading them back down the stairs. "Don't try to coerce me into being your butler!"

"Aww! No breakfast in bed?" teased Galo, and then slapped a hand over his mouth before he realized what he'd said.

And yet, Lio paused and turned his head in a way that flung his thick hair with pure sass. "Not unless you put a ring on this finger," he almost purred before continuing down the steps with a saunter.

Wordlessly, Galo followed him out of the building, his unasked question again prickling at his mind.

* * *

I called this story GaloxLio, but I actually love me some reversibles, lol!


	3. Sunrises and Sudden Upsets

I've decided I want to also add some action and possible adventure into the story as well. I'd been conflicted on whether I wanted to go that route but that was a large part of the movie and as this is my first story with these guys, I'd feel a little odd not having some. More cute guys doing awesome things, my aesthetic :)

Until then, do enjoy the new chapter!

* * *

**Sunrises and Sudden Upsets**

Just two months later, near the end of summer, the last two Burnish left the fire department. They were Lio’s best friends, Guiera and Meis, choosing to move in together as roommates in a new apartment complex specifically built for the displaced Burnish. 

“You sure you don’t want to live with us, Boss?” the redheaded Guiera asked in the almost empty garage, looking at Lio as he hefted a mostly empty duffle bag on his shoulder one early morning. Traveling light had always been a necessity when they were practically homeless and even now, he hadn’t accumulated much in the past few weeks. “You can even sleep in my room, Meis and I can share.” 

Meis had previously backed in a small box truck to load on two of the donated beds and overheard the offer. “Yeah, what he said!” he called out, pushing the loading ramp back into the base of the truck. Dusting his hands off as he walked over, he added, “We wouldn’t even have a place of our own if it wasn’t for all that you’ve done,” he admitted, scratching his long hair. “You know you always have a place to stay if you need it.” 

“Especially if we get this music thing going,” Guiera chimed in, elbowing Meis. “We won’t even be home most of the time so you’ll have the place all to yourself! Gotta be better than staying here. Which...why _do_ you want to stay here?” 

Lio shrugged and replied honestly, “It’s convenient since I'm helping out here now. It’s also free room and board and since I’m not allowed to get a license yet, I can’t just drive here,” he said with some bitterness. Though he was technically forty-five, the government preferred those with his genetic rarity (of which they were calling Pause) to go by the age they’d stopped at and were now aging up from. At “fifteen”, he was still too young to get a driver’s license, damned be that he already knew how to drive everything from motorcycles to the defunct Freeze Force’s prisoner aircrafts.

To his words, his two friends also nodded and shrugged; good enough. In comparison to Lio, both only had a slight case of Pause. A free health checkup offered by the city as part of the reparation efforts showed they also had the mutated gene for the condition. They still looked as they had at seventeen when they first became Burnish three years prior. Lio knew their extremely excessive use of their flames, especially before he joined them in Mad Burnish, was why they’d stopped aging. 

However, as many Burnish had been outside of society for so long, the new government administration that replaced Foresight’s allowed those who were a year from adulthood to apply for early independence which normally would be at eighteen. This helped to keep down the large number of Burnish children who had lost or were disowned by parents and now were in the foster system (the children in Lio’s own community were being fostered by some of the adults). Neither of his friends had been able to locate their parents in Promepolis anymore and considering the way they described having been treated after becoming a Burnish, had no desire to locate them either.

“You guys go and live it up,” Lio encouraged them. “And when you get famous, make sure you write an amazing song about me.” 

“Are you _sure_ you don’t want to join us?!” Meis pressed with a note of desperation. “We already have to find people to fill out the band, would be a damn bit easier if one of those people were you!” 

Guiera added, “Especially since you got that whole 80's glam rock look going for you! Bet you even got a good set of pipes. Come on, we need you!” 

Lio laughed and cocked his head. “Would you believe it if I told you I actually _was_ in a small band thirty years ago?” he teased. 

“YES!” the other two chorused. 

“Yeah, well, it’s not true,” he lied. “I don’t like being in the spotlight. Speaking of which...no more calling me boss. Mad Burnish doesn’t exist anymore.” He’d been holding back on saying it but now was as good a time as any. 

But then his friends exchanged looks. “He’s gone nuts,” said Guiera. 

“Absolutely off the deep end,” agreed Meis. 

“Let’s go ahead and get this through your thick head,” Guiera began, taking a step closer as though ready to fight. “You ain’t our leader because of some flames, idiot.” 

A blonde-green eyebrow was piqued.

“You’re our _boss_ because you know how to get shit done!” Meis backed him up. He put a hand on his chest and another on Gueira’s shoulder. “You _know_ we would’ve burnt out and been a pile of ashes by now if it wasn’t for you! You know how to talk to people in a way that _makes_ them want to follow you! You’re so damn smart and that’s probably because you’re so old!” 

Lio actually gave a snort. “But you guys!” he affected a tremor in his voice, widening his eyes with innocence and posing with his hand curled to his chest as though shying away. "I'm just a fifteen year old boy!” 

“Fifteen my ass!” Guiera spat and they all fell into giggles. “Anyways, because of all of that and more, you’re our boss. Besides, that Galo guy said something about the fire in your soul and that ain’t one that can ever be put out! So as long as it burns, you’re a Burnish, got it?” he yelled, his voice echoing in the garage. 

_I’m a Burnish still because of Galo’s philosophical flame?_ He shook his head in bemusement. “Fine. You present a flawed albeit passionate argument. Don’t think I would’ve been able to change your minds anyways. But just...feel free to also call me Lio, okay?” He held out a hand to shake. 

Meis lightly knocked it away. “Nah, got one that’s even better: _brother_.” He leaned down and hugged him, brief but tight. Lio was entirely caught off guard, and returned a small pat back before Guiera also got in a quick hug, squeezing even tighter and longer, picking Lio up for half a second. When the blond began to struggle, he finally let him go, stumbling back laughing. 

“Alright, that’s enough of the Kodak moments,” Lio grumbled. 

“The what?” both said at the same time. 

“...Nevermind. You guys still live in Promepolis so it’s not like I won’t see you when you’re back in town. I’ll be sure to stop by when you’re here,” he promised. 

They waved their goodbyes for now and the pair climbed in the truck and drove off. He stood there for a while, staring out the empty garage door at the early light. Except for an occasional car passing, it was silent, the city not yet woken up. Like after the night on the roof.

Lio raised a hand slowly and placed it over his eyes and a weight he hadn’t been aware he’d been carrying finally fell off. 

He’d done it. Thirty years and many senseless losses later, but he’d done it. Burnish at last were free and the family he’d fought so hard to protect could now thrive on their own. They didn’t need his protection and that’s all he ever wished for. Was this what it was like having children? He hoped so. He was still scared of what the future held, but it wasn’t all bad that this chapter was now closed. As the early sun slowly washed over him, Lio wiped his eyes and smiled.

~.~.~

_A week later._

“Promise me you won’t get mad.” 

“Can’t make any promises.” 

“Please, Lio? Don’t shoot the messenger,” Galo rubbed the back of his neck as he smiled uncomfortably.

Lio flipped a pancake easily as he made their breakfast. “Oh, so I’m going to have to shoot someone? Go ahead and tell me who.” 

“ Liooo~!” Galo pleaded with him. “Look, it’s just the law of things, alright? I can’t help it.” 

Law? The blond removed the food to a plate and slammed the pan back down on the burner before giving Galo his full attention. “Start talking. _Now._ ” 

“...We had to enroll you into school,” the firefighter blurted, already putting his hands up in an attempt to placate the other. 

It was pointless. The boy’s eyes flashed pure murder. “ _WHAT?!_ ”

“I know, I know! I tried to pull what strings I could to let them know your situation but everyone I used to know that worked for Kray was replaced! I can’t just waltz down to city hall like I used to!” Oh boy, this was not going well.

“Then I’ll do it myself!” Lio declared and though he was still in his pajamas, he made a good attempt to get to the front door. 

Galo blocked his way and despite the attempts to be shoved aside, Lio’s twig of a body was just no match to move him.

“It sucks, I get it. And we even considered homeschooling you, but we’re all way too busy. And besides…” he looked directly at Lio, who’s challenging eyes didn’t look away, “I think you could do with being around people that aren’t us and also aren’t Burnish,” Galo said gently. “Maybe help you readjust to things.” 

He saw the indignation flare up in those prismic eyes but slowly it simmered out. “You guys decided all of this without even talking to me,” Lio said, dropping the arms he’d been swinging with, but curling his fists. 

“Yeah,” Galo admitted and moved around him to grab a pancake off of the prepared stack. “I wanted to surprise you. But we chose a good one! It’s within walking distance, has lots of fun classes, and while there is a school uniform, the director said they're pretty lax about everything else with your appearance.”

“Is it an all-boy’s school?” Lio suddenly asked. 

"Uhh…" Galo hesitated. That option had never even crossed any of their minds. “No...would you prefer an all-boy’s school?” Did Promepolis even have one?

“Hm. Not really,” Lio shrugged after some consideration. He turned to grab a plate of his own to start fixing his food. “The middle school I went to was all boys and then in high school, it was mixed. That was my parent’s hilarious ‘fix’ for me when they found out I was bi.” 

Galo wasn’t entirely surprised but blushed at how forthcoming he was suddenly with his personal life. “Not...sure how that was supposed to resolve things, heh," he chuckled weakly.

Lio shook his head derisively at the memory. “My folks figured the answer was I needed to be around more girls as that’s why I was _queer_. Instead, that just widened the pool of options,” he wagged his eyebrows. 

“LIO!” Galo’s face went up in flame and the Burnish laughed all the harder. 

“Sorry, sorry, that’s probably TMI,” he conceded. “After thirty years of thinking it over though, I kind of just don’t give a fuck what anyone else thinks now.” 

"So I see..." To hide the lingering embarrassment, the firefighter also began stacking his plate and grabbed a bottle of syrup to take into the break room where Lio followed him to. An awkward silence was descending upon them and in an attempt to break it, he blurted, “You said you were going to go meet your parents again, right? Even with all of that, did you get along with them?” That was probably a dumb question. 

But Lio surprised him by saying, “Yeah, for the most part.” He sat down in a chair, before hopping up muttering, “Butter,” and went back to the kitchen. When he returned with a plastic container and a knife, he said “We got along alright. They weren’t crazy about my clothes and preferences but once they realized they weren’t going to change me, they pretty much gave up. I think they'd hoped it was just a phase.” 

“Mn,” said Galo thoughtfully as he chewed his food. It was easy for him to imagine Lio’s defiance, those haughty honey-colored eyes flashing as he held his chin up obstinately to reformation. So even before he became a Burnish, Lio was a fighter. 

“What are you smiling at?” Lio caught him.

“Oh? Nothing. Just thinking. But yeah, your school is pretty awesome!" he switched tracks. "I told everyone about your artwork and so they unanimously agreed on Promepolis Academy of the Arts. Chief Ignis set everything up a few days ago.” 

“Sounds fancy. No entrance exam or anything?” Lio asked cautiously. Anything too good to be true usually was.

“Your murals at the library was your entrance exam,” Galo beamed. “Well, that, and a glowing letter of recommendation by the library director. Chief Ignis talked to him. You’re in on a full scholarship and so long as you don’t do anything to get yourself booted,” and here, Galo leveled one of his red irises at him, “You’re completely good to go for your last years of high school.” 

Lio fell quiet for a moment, leaning on one arm as he poked his food absently. “Can’t believe I’m going to be in school again,” he at last admitted. 

“Pretty odd for you, huh?” 

The Burnish nodded. “Of course. Haven’t sat in a classroom in thirty years. It’s going to be weird to be stuck there with all those kids.” 

“Hey, alright, enough of that,” Galo chastised. “You were Paused, I get it, but that doesn’t mean you’re automatically older.” He stilled though when he saw that face darken again. 

“How the hell not? Thirty years have literally passed, explain to me how I’m not older.” 

“Because you don’t act as old as you think you are,” Galo said calmly, pushing his empty plate away. 

"And there's people older than me who act childish, that's not some fail-proof determination of age," Lio countered.

It was too early to be fighting like this. Within the break room was a coffee machine and to get some space from the other's burning gaze, he got up to make some. Talking loud enough to still be heard, he said “How about this; could you see yourself dating someone that’s forty-five?”

He caught the flinch that wrinkled Lio’s nose before he could catch himself. “Not really.” 

“Then would you date someone that’s fifteen?” he suggested.

“I mean...I don’t know?” A long breath was exhaled. “Probably not. Not been with someone that young in a while.” 

That was a Pandora's box Galo wasn't ready to open. Instead, he sighed and closed his eyes for a moment as the coffee began to brew before turning around to lean against the counter, folding his arms across his uniform.

“You want to know the exact reason why you’re going by your original age? It’s because there’s gross assholes who’ll take advantage of what happened to you Burnish. Say some kid was Paused at ten for ten years. If allowed to go by what age someone should be once--Unpaused?--then that means some adults could take advantage of that in disgusting ways. And...even the other way around."

He heard Lio's noncommittal choke as he averted his eyes.

“And then there’s other things like working, child labor laws and paying taxes. Trust, you’re gonna want to avoid that last one at all costs,” he shook his head with a grin. “You're at least old enough to work if you want to but nobody is demanding it. Enjoy these last years you have to be a kid kobecause you’ll spend more years on the other side. I mean, I love what I do!” he quickly clarified, waving his hands. “But I can’t lie and say that sometimes I don’t miss when my biggest worry was just passing a test."

"And hey, now that’s all you have to worry about!" he said excitedly. "You’ve worked hard for thirty years, take a load off for a little while, okay? For now, you have another two weeks before school starts so let us know when you’re ready so we can start gathering your supplies. The chief has your list and hopefully it makes more sense to you than it did to us. I don't get all that artsy-fartsy stuff."

But Lio just groaned and slammed his head down on the table, wishing he could shut out Galo’s spluttering laughter. There was no way in hell he was looking forward to this. 

* * *

I feel a little cruel for throwing Lio into school after all he's been through, but the idea of putting him in a uniform was too tempting. I'm thinking something like this that I found, uploaded by someone named GlamM on a website called Fanaru: [ http://fanaru.com/anime-boys/image/154746-anime-boys-anime-boy.jpg ](http://fanaru.com/anime-boys/image/154746-anime-boys-anime-boy.jpg)

I'm trying to force Lio away from wearing black but I've seen a few really good black and white uniforms as well. I'm certainly open to any alternate ideas!


End file.
